Defining Quality

Hospitals use several widely accepted definitions to describe healthcare quality.

Credentials

• Quality hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission (JC). JC accreditation is a nationwide symbol of quality. Baystate Health hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission.
• Quality physicians are board certified in their specialties.

Research and Education

• Research and education should be a priority of the hospital. Teaching hospitals tend to have better health outcomes.
• BMC is the regional campus of the University of Massachusetts Medical School - Baystate and a respected research institution.
• BMC is a clinical site for nursing as well as many other healthcare professions in western Massachusetts.

Patient Health Outcomes

Quality hospitals have a positive record of patient health outcomes, such as:

How often the hospital performs a given procedure higher volumes result in more favorable:

• Mortality rates
• Complication rates
• Average lengths of stay

Patient Safety

Patient Safety includes interventions put in place to reduce preventable mistakes:

• Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) system to order medications, tests and procedures more effectively and accurately.
• ICU Staffing an intensive care unit staffed by intensivists, doctors and other caregivers with special training in critical care.
• Evidence Based Hospital Referral - a record of the most experience and best results performing procedures and surgeries or treating conditions. Medical literature shows the more experience the doctor or hospital has performing a given procedure, the better the results.